'Cheap shots' on Clark 'dangerous' – coach fumes with officiating

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has criticised referees for their "egregious" and "utterly disrespectful" officiating around star player Caitlin Clark.

The Fever suffered a 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday with Clark going off injured in the third quarter after multiple tangles with the opposition.

One incident saw Mercury's star guard Alyssa Thomas appear to knee Clark in the groin and push her fist into her neck during a tussle for possession after Clark fell to the floor.

No foul was called during the game but Thomas was sanctioned retrospectively on Thursday, with the WNBA giving her a one-game suspension for "recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area".

Shortly after that incident, Clark was fouled during a three-pointer which led to an awkward landing for the 24-year-old, who appeared in discomfort as she got back to her feet.

The officials reviewed the play, but it was for a potential hostile act by Clark for hitting a defender in the face, rather than for a foul on the American.

"We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren't called," said White.

"And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.

"We spent all off-season looking at officiating. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called."

Clark eventually departed in the second half with a back injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

The incidents followed a heated match between the two sides earlier this week, where the Fever triumphed 88-77 in a contest marred by fouls and confrontations.

"The fist in the throat is crazy. It's dangerous," said White.

"When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious."

Clark became one of the biggest women's basketball stars of all time after scoring over 3,900 points at collegiate level, which is more than any male or female in history.

Her performances for the Iowa Hawkeyes led to record-breaking viewing figures in America, before she was selected by Fever as the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.